FIRST ON FOX: While some medical schools have taken steps to scrub their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments from their websites, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been found to be hiding some of theirs behind password-protected web pages.
The conservative nonprofit organization Consumers Research unveiled a campaign Tuesday titled, “What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?” after finding that VUMC was not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also keeping some and hiding them from public view.
The campaign includes a website, complete with screenshots and archived web links, showing the various web pages tied to DEI and climate activism that are now password-protected. The Consumers’ Research campaign also includes a mobile billboard that the nonprofit has deployed at the university to raise awareness about VUMC’s actions.
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“Vanderbilt University Medical Center is frantically trying to conceal its radical policies by password-protecting and deleting webpages highlighting its commitment to DEI and climate activism,” Will Hild, Consumers’ Research executive director, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Until recently, VUMC proudly touted its woke ideology, showcasing DEI policies and an activist climate agenda prominently throughout its website. But now, the health system is scrambling to hide the evidence. This seemingly nefarious behavior begs the question, what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding?”
While VUMC deleted several web pages related to DEI resources and programs that it offers within specific departments, VUMC’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion website allegedly remains active, only to be accessed with a username and password, according to the nonprofit.
A VUMC Department of Medicine web page touting its commitment to recruit “a diverse resident and fellow population” and laying out resources for those “underrepresented in medicine” is now hidden as well.
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Other web pages about prioritizing “climate care as health care” and other left-wing climate change initiatives have also become password-protected, Consumers’ Research found.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC “is undertaking a thorough review” of its programs to figure out “where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms.”
“While we undertake that review, we have elected to take down related websites to ensure current, accurate, and factual information,” Howser added. “VUMC remains committed to maintaining an environment in which all our employees, patients and visitors feel equally welcome, respected and valued.”
Included in the Consumers’ Research campaign is a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling on HHS and the Department of Government Efficiency to investigate VUMC.
“VUMC, a top research hospital in the United States, relies heavily on federal dollars,” the letter states. “Taxpayer dollars should be used to prioritize patient care, not political activism. Consumers’ Research stands ready to assist as needed to ensure accountability and protect consumers.”
VUMC was investigated by Tennessee’s Attorney General’s Office in 2023 amid allegations that a doctor at VUMC was manipulating medical billing codes to evade insurance coverage-limitations for transgender treatments. The investigation followed a video released in 2022, which allegedly showed a VUMC doctor touting transgender surgeries for minors as “huge money makers” and telling anyone with a religious objection to providing them should quit.
